Washing machine



A ril 20, 1965 o. M. OLSON 3,178,913

WASHING MACHINE Filed March 15, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 g nth; Me+a| bellows coa'fed wifh hea'h'nfi elemeni' Dona/a M 0/5012 INVENTOR.

April 20, 1965 D. M. OLSON WASHING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 15, 1963 I'I'II'IIIIIII REGULA OFF Dona/o M 0/5 on INVENTOR.

\"1 mm-i United States Patent 3,178,913 WASHiNG MAEHKNE Donald M. Olson, 613 hinon Drive, PEG. lion 2165, Santa Fe, N. Mex. Filed Mar. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 265,3i9 12 Claims. (til. 63-12) This invention relates to an improvement in washing machines and it pertains more particularly to an automatic clothes washer which has a different mode of operation than any washer heretofore known An object of the invention is to provide a clothes washer that is as portable as hand luggage, but that may be used wherever llO-volt A.C. electricity is available adjacent a water source and drain, to automatically wash, rinse and at least partially dry that small amount of personal clothing that may require daily laundering. A further object is to provide in a clothes washer a means for obtaining turbulence combined with a squeezing and squirting action, and an improved means for heating the I water employed in the washing of clothes. Still another object is to provide a small or midget automatic washer-dryer combination which is remarkably practical, durable, efficient and economical both to fabricate and to operate. Other objects will become apparent as the detailed description of the invention proceeds.

Briefly, I employ, in lieu of a tub, a container having a firm but flexible, bellows-shaped, non-corrosive metal, peripheral side-wall, preferably of stainless steel or spring bronze, a top closure provided with a removable cover, and a bottom closure containing at least one conduit which communicates with the inside of the container. The end closures are preferably horizontally mounted so that one may move vertically toward and away from the other without appreciable rocking action; with the upper closure hled bya support, the lower closure may be secured at its center to an element which is driven up and down by a motor through a device for translating circular motion to substantially rectilinear vertical motion. A substantial portion of the side-wall area, i.e., more than a third of it and preferably most of it or substantially all of it, is covered by a flexible heating element which may be sprayed onto the bellows-shaped side-wall or applied thereto in any other known manner. Even if the water introduced into the washer is cold, it is quickly brought to the desired temperature, e.g., about 14017t) F., because of the enormous area through which heat is applied. The hottest water will be at the periphery and it is this hottest water that is squirted against and through the clothes when the bellows folds approach each other to apply a squeezing and squirting action. The remarkable turbulence which results from the accordion-like movement of the end closure causes constant replacement of hotter by cooler water, thereby increasing the eihciency of the heater.

A cone-shaped rubbery plunger augments the turbulence during washing and cooperates with other elements to facilitate drying, air preferably being drawn into the washer through a top opening in this plunger element and discharged through an opening at a spaced outer point, although at least some air may enter and/or be discharged through each of the openings.

The washer may be provided with a mechanism in the cover for adding detergent, soap or other solids or liquids at appropriate times. One or more pumps operated by timer-controlled motors may cause the container to receive and empty predetermined amounts of water or other liquid at the desired time intervals. Warm air may be passed through the clothes after the last rinse and before the clothes are removed from the container, heat supplied through the side-walls assisting in the drying operation as well as in washing and rinsing.

The invention will be clearly understood from the following detailed description of a preferred example thereof read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view, partly, in section, of my washer,

FIGURE 2 is a front view, partly in section, of my washer,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 4 is a schematic view of the heating element,

FEGURE 5 is a detailed section to show the squirting action, and

FIGURE 6 is an alternate case for my washer.

In my preferred example the tub of my invention is a metal bellows 11) of stainless steel, although spring bronze could be used, the outside diameter of which is about six inches and the height of which is about five inches in its compressed state and about nine inches in its elongated state. The distance of depth d between inner and outer annular convolutions being about one-half inch and the radius r of curvature at the inner and outer sides being about one-eighth inch (see FIG. 5). The capacity of container 1b in its shortest position is thus about 2 quarts or about 1 /2 quarts when provision is made for the required empty upper space. The metal thickness may be about 5 to 15 mils, preferably about 10 mils.

As shown in FIGURE 4 the outside wall of the metal bellows is covered with a flexible heating element 11 except for a U shaped portion on each side (where bellows id is not covered) so that electrical current may flow from one connector or lead 12 through the elongated heating element path around the U shaped portion to connector or lead 13. The heating element 11 may be a sprayed type or any other'type which will be flexible and in close, heat conducting relationship with the bellows wall 19, and the purpose of the U shaped non-coated portion is to prevent short circuiting of the heater element when a sprayed-on heater element is used. (Such as is available from Electrofilm, Inc., North Hollywood, California.)

The upper end of bellows 10 is secured to ring 14 which is held in fixed position by support 15 which in turn is securely mounted on base 16, one side 17 of the outer case preferably being hinged for access. A circular removable cover or lid 18 together with ring 14 constitute the top closure for the metal bellows, lid 18 being provided with a handle 19 and an air outlet tube or orifice 20 provided with downwardly inclined baffles 21 or other type of water trap or labyrinth. A flapper valve 22, that opens to let air out but closes and prevents air from coming in, is employed but may not always be essential. A central tube 23, which may be provided with an air inlet valve 24 to let air in and to prevent air exit, also provides an air passage. The space around tube 23 between the top and bottom of lid 18 may house the control assembly 25 which is actuated by knobs, 26, 26a, 26b and 260.

The control assembly 25 per so may be of any types already known to the art and hence it requires no detailed description. For example, control 26 may be an off-on timer switch which may start the working cycle and which may resume its original position at the end of the cycle. Control 2641 may be the water inlet controller which may be set to control the amount of water used for wash and rinse cycles; it may open a cut-off valve in the inlet line at appropriate intervals and close said valve on the expiration of the time selected by control 1 26a, a small orifice being used with this cut-off valve to control the total volume introduced and to insure against over filling. Control 26b may set the temperature to which the water is heated for the wash cycle, thermostatic controls determining when the current is allowed to flow as through heater 11. Control 26c may determine the length of the wash, rinse and/ or drying times. These and any other desired controls may be housed in lid 18 and be connected by a suitable cable 27 to elements to be conrolled. An electrical inlet cord 28 also leads to control assembly 25. Rubber or plastic seals 29 may be secured to the top of ring 14, or so-called 0 ring seals may be employed to insure against leakage. Lid 18 ms be held in place by screw threads, a bayonet type retainer 39 or any other known means.

Depending downwardly from the bottom of lid 18 is a cone-shaped plunger member 31 of stiff but deformable rubbery material, the top of the cone being open to tube 23 and the plunger extending downwardly about four inches, the plunger being about three inches in diameter at its base. be provided with a sleeve valve opening for introducing water softener and soap or detergent at a proper time by the control mechanism, such materials preferably being introduced in solid form, e.g., as pills, although they may be introduced as liquids.

The bottom closure 32 of the metal bellows iii has an annular depressed portion 33 into which liquid may drain and from which liquid may be withdrawn through flexible hose 34 by centrifugal pump 35, the discharge from which passes through pipe 36 to a sink or drain facility. Pump 35 is driven by motor 37 which is controlled by cables and 27 leading to the control assembly 25. Although th tub may be manually filled to an indicated mark on tl.

wall of bellows 16, I prefer to provide a flexible vater inlet line 39 which may tightly slip over any faucet or water outlet and lead to control valve iii, and thence by flexible tube 41 to annular space 33, the Valve 4% being preferably secured to support 16 and operatively connected by cable 27 to the control assembly 25. Flexible tubes 36 and 39 may be connectable to tube 36 and control 46, respectively, through sockets or hose-connectors fixed in the side of the case; when not in use, tubes 36 and 39 may be disconnected and push through a hole in the outside case to suitable storage drains therein (not shown in drawings).

If it is desired to obtain complete drying in the metal bellows before removing the lid, I may also provide a third flexible tube leading from an air blower to annular space 33, the operation of the air blower likewise being 7,

controlled by the control assembly; in this example no air blower assembly is used or shown in the drawing. Above bottom closure 32 and space 33 there is a foraminous element such as a perforated plate or screen 42 so that fabric being Washed will not plug drain tube 34.

The driving force for obtaining desired agitation in the washer is provided by motor 43 which is connected by cable 27 to the control assembly 25'. Shaft 44 of motor 43 is eccentrically secured to cam plate 4-5 which has at its periphery a circular or elliptical cam groove for cam follower 47 which in this case is a so-called McGill needle bearing cam follower. The cam follower is mounted at the base of an element 48 the top of which is secured to bottom closure 32 so that when the motor 43 is driving element 43 through the cam 46 and cam follower 47, a rectilinear up-and-down movement of closure 32 is obtained. To substantially prevent any lateral or rocking movement of the bellows, a vertical rod 49 is secured to the frame 16 and ball bearing guide member 58 (Thompson linear ball bushing) which is mounted on lower closure 32 by bracket arm 51, slides up and down on rod 49. With this system for obtaining rectilinear motion, element 48 can be very short and it requires no reticulation, bearing or guide, and cam 47 may be locked into groove 46 by securing a thin annular retaining ring (not shown) around one outer edge of said groove.

In operation, the cover of the carrying case (not shown) is removed and the washer is positioned in or near a convenient sink, close to a water supply and the control assembly is plugged into a llO-volt home power The upper opening, orifice, or tube may source by cord 23, tube 39 being fastened to the Water faucet and tube 36' hooked over the drain. Lid 1:; is removed, the proper amount of dirty clothes is put into the bellows, and water softener and detergent pills are put in a dispenser in the lid. The lid is then put back on and locked on the washer, the controls are set to the desired position and control 26 is turned on. At once heat is supplied by element 11 and water is introduced through the orifice in control 46 until the predetermined amount has been introduced, e.g., until the water is about one inch from the bottom of lid 18 when the container is in its shortest position. The water is quickly heated to the desired temperature level in the range of about F. and motor 43 is started to move closure 32. up and down at a rate of about one or two cycles a second or faster. As closure 32 moves down, air is sucked into the cone 31 through opening 23 and the bottom of the cone plunger finally emerges from the water, since with closure 32 in its lowermost position the water level will be about five inches below the bottom of the lid and about one inch below the bottom of the cone. Then as the closure 32 is moved upwardly through its four inches of travel, two types of agitation are obtained. The first type is the plunging type of agitation caused by the trapped air in plunger 31 forcing the water around the lower ccrners of the cone and down through clothes under the cone, the air finally being driven out via tube whil water is held back and returned by baffles 21.

The second and most important type of agitation may be visualized by reference to FIGURE 5. When closure 33 goes down, sides A and B separate from each other leaving a space which is filled by liquid at least in the lower part of the washer. When closure 32 moves up, A and B converge toward each other and squirt the liquid C at high velocity into the mass of clothes being washed. This unique agitation is phenomenally efficient in and of itself, but its washing efficiency is enormously enhanced by the fact that this water which is squirted into the clothes is the hottest water directly from the closet proximity to heater 11. Finally the efficiency of the heater is remarkably high because the conductivity of tie metal bellows wall and because of the turbulence right at the wall of the bellows which maximizes the flow of heat into the wash water.

After the usual wash cycle, motor 37 is actuated and the wash water is removed from the container to the drain by flexible tube 34 and tubes 36 and 36'. Then the usual cycles are employed. After the final rinse water has been discharged, the motors 35 and 43 may continue and perform the new function of facilitating the drying of the clothes. At first the water is jounced out of the clothes by the repeated downward movements of closure 32, thus knocking out water to the extent that it is thrown out by centrifugal force in other types of socalled spin-dries. Then, as the clothes get lighter because of less water content, the suction effect of cone 31 tends to disturb, move, agitate or haul the clothes up during the downward movement of closure 32 and/or the up-and-down movement causes an agitation of the clothes simultaneously with the continued inlet and outlet of air and continued application of heat through the walls of the metal bellows. After the drying has proceeded for the time set on the controls, the heater and both motors are turned off and the controls are ready to start a new wash after the clean and dry clothes have been removed and another batch of dirty clothes has been placed in the washer.

In FIG. 6 another outer case design is shown, the electrical control assembly in this case being carried by a sidewall of the outer case instead of in the lid of the bellows-shaped container. The outer case 52 slopes gradually inwardly toward the top and has rounded corners. The container lid 53 is a part of the top and is positioned over the center of gravity of the whole combination so that when the lid 53 is locked on the cona.) tainer by bayonet lock 54, handle may be used to carry the washer-dryer as if it were a piece of hand luggage. A single control 56 may be all that is necessary: Timer arm 57 is moved clockwise to fine, for fabrics that might be injured by hot water, to regular, for fabrics of cotton, linen or the like, the latter controls taking over if pointer arm 57 passes the fine marker. On the inside of case 52 (and not shown in the drawing) is a disc mounted to rotate with arm 57 and carrying on its side adjacent the controls assembly the required contacts for opening and closing the various circuits for obtaining the desired cycle of operations. If turned only to fine, the maximum liquid temperature may be held at a low level such as to F. while if turned all of the way, the temperature may be of the order of to F. or more.

While I have disclosed in considerable detail a specific example of my invention, it should be understood that numberous modifications, alternative arrangements and operating procedures may be employed as will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the foregoing written description. For example, instead of employing a separate motor for the pump and possibly for an air blower, I may employ a single motor with separate power takeoffs from the shaft, i.e., by the use of gears, clutches or the like. Instead of moving the bottom closure 32 up and down the bottom closure may be held in constant position and ring 14 may be moved up and down to obtain the washing motion; this is not as desirable as having the bottom closure move up and down particularly during the drying cycle.

I claim:

1. A washer which comprises, in combination:

(a) a container having a flexible, bellows-shaped metal peripheral side-wall and first and second closure, respectively, secured to the side-wall at the opposite ends thereof,

(b) a flexible heating element applied to the outside of the metal side-wall so that it may flex therewith,

(c) a support for holding the first end closure, and

(d) a driven element for moving the second closure away from and toward the first closure while maintaining it substantially parallel thereto, thereby causing the side-wall to be extended and compressed uniformly around the wall which in turn creates fluid turbulence in the container by a squeezing and squirting action.

2. The washer of claim 1 which includes a motor, a connection between the motor and the driven element, and a guide to impart substantially rectilinear motion to the second closure.

3. The washer of claim 2 which includes a removable cover in the first end closure and which includes at least one conduit communicating with the interior of the container through the second end closure, the latter being horizontally mounted for vertical movement toward and away from the first closure.

4. A washing machine which comprises in combination:

(a) a fluids container having a flexible, bellowsshaped metal peripheral side-wall and a top and bottom closure therefor,

(13) a removable lid in the top closure,

(c) a hollow cone-shaped plunger of rubbery material with its small end communicating with an air inlet opening in the lid and its large end extending downwardly in the container but spaced from the side-wall thereof,

(at) an air outlet for discharging air from the upper part of the container outside of said plunger,

(e) a means for moving one of the closures vertically with respect to the other said closure whereby the container is elongated and contracted and whereby air is drawn in through the plunger and discharged through said outlet, and

(1) means for discharging fluid from the base of the container.

5. The machine of claim 4 which includes a flexible heater element applied to and extending over a large area on the outside of the side-wall.

6. A washer which comprises, in combination:

(a) a container for fluids, said container having a flexible, bellows-shaped metal peripheral side-wall and a closure at each end thereof,

(b) a flexible electrical heating element applied to and extending over most of the outside of the sidewall and electrical connections therefor,

(c) a first flexible conduit leading into said container for introducing fluids thereto and a second flexible conduit leading out of said container for removing fluids therefrom, and

(d) a motor, an element driven by said motor and a device therebetween' for translating circular motion to substantially rectilinear motion, said driven element being connected to one of the end closures for moving it away from and toward the other end closure while maintaining it substantially parallel thereto for shortening and lengthening the bellowsshaped side-wall and thereby squeezing the contents of the container and creating turbulence therein by a squirting action.

7. The washer of claim 6 which includes at least one pump, a switch, and timing mechanism associated therewith for starting and stopping, respectively, the motor and the pump.

8. The washer of claim 6 wherein the end closure connected to the driven element is horizontally mounted for vertical movement toward and away from the other end closure which is horizontally mounted above the first named end closure and which is provided with a removable cover and which is held closed during the washing operation but which can be opened for introduc ing and removing materials to be cleaned.

9. The washer of claim 8 which includes a hollow plunger extending downwardly from the bottom of the cover, an air inlet opening leading to the inside of the plunger, and an air outlet opening in the cover at one side of the plunger.

10. A washer and dryer which comprises in comr bination:

(a) a container having a flexible, bellows-shaped, metal, peripheral side-wall and a closure at each end thereof,

(b) a flexible heating element applied to and extending over a substantial portion of the outside area of the side-wall with an electrical connection at each end thereof,

(c) a first flexible conduit leading into said container for introducing fluids thereto, a valve in said first conduit, a second flexible conduit leading out of said container for removing fluids therefrom, and a pump for positively Withdrawing fluids through said second conduit, and

(d) a driving motor, an element driven by said motor and a device therebetween for translating circular motion to substantially rectilinear motion, said driven element being connected to one of the end closures for moving it away from and toward the other end closure while maintaining it substantially parallel thereto for shortening and lengthening the bellows-shaped side-wall and thereby squeezing the contents of the container and creating turbulence therein by a squirting action,

(e) a removable cover in the end closure which is above the other end closure,

(f) a timer-controlled mechanism for obtaining a predetermined sequence of washing, rinsing and drying operations at temperatures Within predetermined ranges,

7 g) electrical connections from the timer-controlled mechanism to the heating element, driving motor, pump motor and valve, and

(h) a hollow plunger member extending downwardly from the removable cover, there being an air inlet leading into said plunger member and an air outlet leading out of the container through the cover but outside of the plunger.

11. A washer-dryer unit comprising a bellows-shaped metal side-wall with upper and lower end closures, a lid in the upper end closure and a hollow plunger depending from said lid into the container, a mechanism for moving one of the closures toward and away from the other whereby the plunger is removed from and plunged into fluid to supplement the squirting action of the flexed side-walls during the washing operation and whereby the plunger helps to move fabrics during the drying thereof, an air inlet for admitting air through the plunger, and an air outlet for discharging air at a point outside the plunger.

12. The Washer-dryer unit of claim 11 which includes a motor driven element for moving the lower closure toward and away from the upper closure, a foraminous References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,777,008 9/30 Malloy 6820 X 2,869,166 1/59 Eaves 15-25007 2,887,862 5/59 Jennings 68-16 X 2,997,870 8/61 Serra 6896 X FOREIGN PATENTS 697,469 10/40 Germany.

861,833 1/53 Germany.

895,588 5/62 Great Britain. 1,203,019 7/59 France.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WASHER WHICH COMPRISES, IN COMBINATION: (A) A CONTAINER HAVING A FLEXIBLE, BELLOWS-SHAPED METAL PERIPHERAL SIDE-WALL AND FIRST AND SECOND CLOSURE, RESPECTIVELY, SECURED TO THE SIDE-WALL AT THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF, (B) A FLEXIBLE HEATING ELEMENT APPLIED TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE METAL SIDE-WALL SO THAT IT MAY FLEX THEREWITH (C) A SUPPORT FOR HOLDING THE FIRST END CLOSURE, AND (D) A DRIVEN ELEMENT FOR MOVING THE SECOND CLOSURE AWAY FROM AND TOWARD THE FIRST CLOSURE WHILE MAINTAINING IT SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL THERETO, THEREBY CAUSING THE SIDE-WALL TO BE EXTENDED AND COMPRESSED UNIFORMLY AROUND THE WALL WHICH IN TURN CREATES FLUID TURBULENCE IN THE CONTAINER BY A SQUEEZING AND SQUIRTING ACTION. 